Mark Zuckerberg’s Wealth Grows by $76 Billion, Now the Third Richest Person in the World

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms—owner of Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp—has increased his net worth by an incredible $76 billion since January, bringing his total wealth to $204 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

This puts him as the third richest person in the world, behind only Elon Musk ($269 billion) and Jeff Bezos ($208 billion).

Zuckerberg started the year in sixth place but has now surpassed luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault ($195 billion) and Oracle founder Larry Ellison ($180 billion).

With his current pace, Zuckerberg could soon overtake Bezos. However, he still has a significant gap to close with Musk.

Since tech fortunes can change quickly, Zuckerberg could catch up—Musk’s wealth was even lower than Zuckerberg’s current net worth just a few months ago in June.

The wealth of Zuckerberg, Musk, and Bezos often rises and falls together because their companies—Meta, Tesla, and Amazon—are all large tech firms.

Any major event, like a bad earnings report or a lawsuit, could shake things up and move them around in the rankings.

Additionally, large charitable donations by Musk or Bezos, similar to what Warren Buffett has done, could lower their net worth and push Zuckerberg higher.

Buffett, for example, could have been the richest person in the world with a fortune over $300 billion if he hadn’t given away much of his wealth.

How This Year Has Been for Mark Zuckerberg

This year, Zuckerberg has been gaining wealth faster than both Musk and Bezos. His $76 billion increase is far greater than Musk’s $40 billion and Bezos’ $31 billion.

At 40 years old, Zuckerberg also has more time to grow his fortune compared to Musk, 53, and Bezos, 60. Historical trends show that many billionaires, like Buffett, accumulate most of their wealth later in life.

Zuckerberg’s rise to becoming one of the world’s richest people started early. He founded Facebook in 2004 at age 19 and took it public in 2012.

Today, Meta is valued at nearly $1.5 trillion, making it the sixth-largest company in the world, ahead of other giants like Tesla and JPMorgan Chase.

Zuckerberg’s wealth has bounced back strongly after a rough period between September 2021 and November 2022, when Meta’s stock dropped more than 75%.

Concerns over his large spending on the metaverse and a broader tech downturn led to this decline, reducing his net worth to $35 billion at its lowest point.

Since then, Meta’s stock has surged, increasing more than fivefold, including an 89% rise in the past year. This recovery, driven by investor confidence in Meta’s role in AI and Zuckerberg’s decision to cut back on spending, has dramatically boosted his wealth.

While Zuckerberg hasn’t yet passed Bezos or Musk, his rapid gains and the unpredictable nature of tech wealth suggest that he could soon close the gap.